Kaila,Wonderful job! I'm not a big Mendelssohn fan, but I enjoyed every minute of this. I watched the videos, so I'll just assume that the MP3s are conversions of those.

My favorite was The Sighing Wind, and I loved your approach - just make the piano sing and let the composer write the music.Your touch and technique in the Tarantella were great. Just to be really picky, there were a couple of measures at 1:18-1:20 in which the accented note buried the other notes in the triplets, but this is the kind of thing that happens in performance.I noticed that the camera work included pans, which meant that you had a camera person. Does this limit the number of takes that you can do? If so, you must know these pieces inside-out.

Most of this material called for steady tempo, something you did without it ever feeling stunted in any way.Congratulations.

I really enjoyed your videos. As usual, your playing was very expressive indeed. Also your control of touch, so important in Mendelssohn, was masterful. It looked like you thoroughly enjoy performing these works too.

I recorded 13 of these Songs without Words, but apart from the "Tarantella", there was no overlap between your choices and mine. I believe that this proves yet again that when it comes to this wonderful volume of Mendelssohn's character pieces, there is something there for every pianist.

Congrats on your marvelous playing!

David

_________________"Interpreting music means exploring the promise of the potential of possibilities." David April

"...I recorded 13 of these Songs without Words, but apart from the "Tarantella", there was no overlap between your choices and mine. I believe that this proves yet again that when it comes to this wonderful volume of Mendelssohn's character pieces, there is something there for every pianist. ..."David

Hi David,

I agree with you about the richness and variety of the Songs Without Words. The appeal is for many different types of pianisticinterests.

David, I tried to find your recording of the "Tarantella" at the Piano Society and had trouble doing this. Is it there?

Kaila,Wonderful job! I'm not a big Mendelssohn fan, but I enjoyed every minute of this. I watched the videos, so I'll just assume that the MP3s are conversions of those.

My favorite was The Sighing Wind, and I loved your approach - just make the piano sing and let the composer write the music.Your touch and technique in the Tarantella were great. Just to be really picky, there were a couple of measures at 1:18-1:20 in which the accented note buried the other notes in the triplets, but this is the kind of thing that happens in performance.I noticed that the camera work included pans, which meant that you had a camera person. Does this limit the number of takes that you can do? If so, you must know these pieces inside-out.

Most of this material called for steady tempo, something you did without it ever feeling stunted in any way.Congratulations.

Hi Stu,

Thank you for your kind words. "The Sighing Wind" is one of my favorites along with "The Fleecy Cloud" and the "Poet's Harp."

When playing the Mendelssohn pieces, I tried to imagine paintings that were neo classical or very romantic in the treatment ofnature. It helped me interpret the pieces.

The presence of a videographer has no influence on how I approach my performance. There are no performance edits in any of these recordings. At the beginning of "The Poet's Harp" we did include a video edit of a frontal long view from a second camera simply for aesthetic reasons.

I had a listen to your recordings. I like them a lot, just by listening I get the sense that you have thought a great deal about how to play these pieces. Your phrasing throughout the 5 selections is very much to my liking. My favorite is your performance of "Fleecing Clouds". I am not much familiar with the composer Mendelssohn, despite having done a recording of one of his Children's Pieces Op. 72, which I was first introduced by listening to Monica's recordings of the set, also I've seen some videos of Andreas playing them on YT, but just his "Spinning Song". And Luis playing the 3 Fantasies. By the way, the "Spinning Song," reminds me a lot of the "Tarantella." I give you a lot of credit for your high speed of this piece! I think a lot of ppl underestimate how hard it is to play fast!

I love The Fleecy Cloud and think of the magnificent clouds in so many paintings when I play them.Sometimes when I practiced, I would look at the clouds from my apartment window by the piano.It was a very nice experience.

Glad you enjoyed that "historical" recording of mine. Lately I've been relearning/rerecording some of the Rachmaninoff preludes. As for this Tarantella, actually I think I might have had better aptitude for it back then. I don't know that I'd have that same agility these days. Maybe.

David

_________________"Interpreting music means exploring the promise of the potential of possibilities." David April

Expertly played all. I preferred to watch the videos instead of just listening. You have done a great job both musically and aesthetically.I don't have any criticism on details. It would be a pity to isolate things. You obviously know the music really well and your playing is at a professional level to support it.

First time listening to these pieces, and they were a joy to listen to, especially The Fleecy Cloud, which I tried several times but never really got around to learning it properly. I think for that piece, the bass notes seemed a bit too monotonously powerful at 1:45-1:51, but you did the one after that beautifully.

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